Dottie and Chrissy are like a lot of girls, eager to go out and get some sunshine on their skin on such a stunning day. These two are both Animal Sanctuary rescues, and it brings tears to my eyes to see them fully grown, and living their lives so peacefully.
Special thank you to their sponsors Eddy (for Dottie) and Megan K ( for Chrissy).
THE OTHER SIDE OF NEGLECT Many of the animals we rescue are starving and uncared for. Occasionally, however, we see the opposite: overfeeding and under-exercising that results in morbid obesity. We were totally shocked when we rescued two massive cows. The vet said they were the fattest cows he'd ever treated, and this caused serious health problems for them. I couldn't stop staring at their butts, which had grown huge bags of fat that almost buried their tails! Transporting them to their new home was a dangerous prospect. They were so obese and weak that when they couldn't stand for long in the float... and when they went down, they couldn't get up again. We honestly feared we were going to have to euthanise them. After a long and extremely stressful effort, the cows were finally extricated from the float. It was several days before they could stand for any length of time, they needed quite a bit of care. Thankfully this cow and her daughter are now up and around, getting exercise, and are on a diet to improve their health.
For the past 2 weeks we'd seen a tiny piglet around our property. We don't know if he wandered away from a wild litter, or if someone dumped him here. Various suggestions were made as how we could ""get rid of him but none were in keeping with the philosophies of an animal sanctuary!! So, my hero husband caught the baby pig with help from our wonderful French volunteers. We've named Little Black Rhino, due to his long nose. I went to visit him with food, and within 5 minutes this hungry little baby went from ""I'm a wild pig and I'm petrified of you"" to ""OK, humans are a good thing, and I'm happy to sit with you if you'll keep feeding me"". Within 5 more minutes I was scratching and rubbing Rhino all over, and his attitude was ""If you scratch me like this, I'll love you forever!"" ?I've added his photo to the gallery so you can see him. NOW WE NEED TO FIND A LOVING HOME FOR RHINO. This is the perfect time to adopt, because he'll bond with anyone who gives him food and love. It's also the best time to introduce him to your own pigs, if you have any, because he's so little. Obviously Rhino is to be a beloved pet, and not slaughtered for food or used for breeding. We will pay for neutering if necessary, to find him the perfect forever home (in New Zealand). Please contact us at 09-422-7322 or on animalsanctuary@xtra.co.nz Thanks!!
In December we rescued a small calf. ?At just 4 days old he got tangled in electric wire. ?The wire cut through the tendons in his leg, carved into the bone, and shocked him every second for almost 2 days. ?It's amazing he lived. ?He received initial treatment, but then they abandoned him. ?The farmer didn't want to invest any more money on him, and just left him alone in a field until he could put on enough weight to slaughter. ?The calf was in terrible pain, and 3 months later the filthy bandages were still on. ?When we rescued him he was wild, the leg was in bad shape, and he was absolutely terrified of everyone and everything. So it's nothing short of a miracle that exactly one month later Sparky is a totally sweet, affectionate, fully mobile calf. ?We provided surgery, removed the dead bone (and maggots), and kept the wound clean while it healed. ?Now he runs over to be cuddled and get treats; tries to sit in my lap; has decided that being scratched is one of life's greatest pleasures; follows me like a puppy; nuzzles and gives kisses; and walks happily to the pasture to graze. This week he got all silly and frisky, dancing and prancing around the paddock. ?Yesterday he galloped for the first time. ?The final bandages are being removed today, and we have no doubt that Sparky has made a full recovery - both physically and emotionally. He's a true success story, and we couldn't be happier.
